


starwatcher

by softshocks



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Stardew Valley AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:48:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23361208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softshocks/pseuds/softshocks
Summary: She had come to this place for refuge.
Relationships: Kim Yoohyeon/Lee Yoobin | Dami
Comments: 30
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ephemeraldt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephemeraldt/gifts), [citrusflower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/citrusflower/gifts).



> An AU for precisely five (5) people and other extreme sports
> 
> Title is from maru’s theme starwatcher, from the ost (which is free serotonin)
> 
> Come say hi, i’m @hausofbora on twitter, sharpshocks on tumblr

_“Yubin, when the time comes, open this envelope.”_

_She frowns, confused. “‘Time?’ What do you mean, pops?”_

_He gives her a smile. A secret. Yubin doesn’t know what to make of it but she takes the envelope and uses it as a bookmark for the book she’s reading in front of the fireplace._

_The fireplace crackles and her grandfather’s voice is faint, but she hears it nevertheless._

_“You’ll know.”_

-

The paper shakes in her careful, nervous grip. Yubin knocks on the door, waits to be called in, and approaches her boss’s desk. 

Her boss, a tenured and arrogant professor (and a seasoned researcher, but that’s beside the point) for whom she’d be working as an RA for over a year, turns to her. She mentions several things to be added to Yubin’s already heavy workload, considering that her manuscript has been rejected thrice for no particular reason, but Yubin hears none of it. 

She slides the single paper across the table, holding on to half of it. 

“And my daughter’s report car—” Her boss cuts herself off at the paper on the desk, held firmly by Yubin. “What’s this?”

“My polite resignation,” is what she says. Yubin had meant to say _eat shit_ , but she may need the recommendation letter later if all else fails.

Yubin has had enough. 

-

“ _Seriously? You did it?”_

Yubin pulls out her plant from the box she used to bring home her stuff and sets the pot on the table. “Do I look like I would joke about these things?” 

She can hear Handong’s disgruntled harrumph over the line. _“I didn’t think you were kidding. I thought that you wouldn’t do it because you were comfortable in that place and didn’t like change.”_

Yubin chuckles. “You’re right. But I did it anyway. I think the last straw was having to take her dog to the vet.” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “If I didn’t, she would have trashed a part of my dissertation.” 

“ _Well, she just lost you. That’s on her.”_ Handong tells her, firmly. _“You did the right thing, babe. It was miserable seeing my best friend suffer every day.”_

That's an understatement and they both know it. Balancing classes for her to take, for her to teach, authoring several articles only for her citation count to crawl, painfully slow. Her dissertation was rejected three times out of personal disdain by her (now former) boss. Traffic has been ungodly, recently. Yubin sits in her car for two hours on a miserable day to day basis.

It’s too much, all at once but the city tended to be like that — too much or nothing. Like how it is dense with people but Yubin has never felt more alone in her life. 

Having done what she did felt as if a bag of rocks were lifted from crushing her upper body. Yubin feels lighter already. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that,” she tells Handong, honestly. When she does, she catches an old envelope sticking out of the end of the box. 

She knows what that is. Yubin knows, regardless of not having seen it in years. 

“Dongie,” Yubin says absently, fishing for the envelope. “I’ll call you later, yeah?” 

Handong hums, ends the call, and when she does Yubin pulls out the envelope—kinda old, a bit heavy, had ‘To: Yubin, From: Pops’ written on the back. 

She breaks it open. 

A key falls into her hand when she shakes it. Small. Rusted. There’s a blue ribbon attached to its ring. She doesn’t recognize which doors it could open. Yubin fishes out the paper. 

_Yubin,_

_If you’re reading this, then there’s a reason why you are. I hope that whatever it is that burdens you will leave, and I pray that this will help in doing so._

_When you’re tired of modern life, come to Pelican Town. Here’s the key to my old home._

_Take care of the farm. Meet the people. Live the life you deserve, one that you are content with._

_Love you lots, kid. I’ll see you soon._

_Pops_

There are tears in her eyes, and she looks pathetic sitting in the middle of her apartment with things scattered about, but that’s exactly the position Yubin is in and she doesn’t care. 

The key shakes as she takes out her phone and purchases a bus ticket to Pelican Town next month. That’s ample time to pack, fix rent dues, utilities. Say her proper goodbyes. 

It’s the most impulsive she’s been. 

Yubin sinks into the feeling. 

-

Her knees are wobbly when she carries down her sparse bags for clothes and massive luggage she has for all her books. 

Her shoes sink into the soft soil. The air smells different. She hasn’t stepped out of urban spaces for years.

Yubin can spot the yellow jacket a mile away. “Hey! Welcome to Pelican Town!” The woman greets, her smile as bright as her red hair. “You must be Yubin. I’m Robin.”

“That’s me,” she grunts, settling the last suitcase of reading materials she brought. “Nice to meet you.” 

Robin offers to carry one, and when Yubin lets her, she does so effortlessly. 

(“I’m a carpenter,” she explains later, as they’re walking. Then it makes sense how she can carry Yubin’s weight in books. It’s really cool. Yubin tells her so. There’s a slight blush that colors Robin’s cheeks.) 

“We’re here,” Robin announces, and Yubin takes in the sight. 

Her grandfather’s home seems well-kept, but the rest of the vast expanse of the farm is a mess of weeds and rocks. This is going to take a lot of time and effort to clean up. 

“Sorry for the mess,” Robin apologizes, most likely sensing Yubin’s apprehension. “It’s been a pretty busy few years. I did try to keep your pop's place clean.” 

Yubin shakes her head. “No, don’t worry. Thanks so much.” She lets out the breath she’s been holding. “Wow. He left all of this to me.” 

“He did. He talked about you all the time,” Robin smiles. “Whenever he came back from visiting you guys back in the city, he was always his happiest. And your pops was a pretty happy man.” 

Yubin laughs, a small tug to her heart accompanies it. “That he was, huh?” She looks down at her luggage. “Thanks for meeting me. I’ll take it from here.” 

“You sure?”

She nods. “I can handle this farm. I think. I’m a city girl, what do I know.” It had been a half-joke, and she was slightly intimidated by the amount of work that had to be done.

That pulls a hearty laugh from Robin. “Alright. Well, come up north to see me if you need anything.” Robin walks backward, waving goodbye. “You should head over to the village and meet everyone! They’re excited to meet you!”

Yubin waves back, then turns to the expanse of land that needs cleaning.

Maybe she should have asked for Robin’s help, but she’s too shy to ask now. 

She hauls her bags to the porch, puts on some gear and takes some tools that Robin left for her, and gets to work. 

-

It doesn’t take her long, actually. By sundown, Yubin is exhausted. She almost collapses on the porch steps, catching her breath, peeling off her gloves and hat and setting them neatly beside her. 

She can tell she’s cleared nearly all of the rocks and the weed. Yubin had planned to replant some of the trees, but she’s too tired for that right now. 

Knowing that there’s more work for tomorrow, Yubin decides to end the day — fishing out the house key from her backpack to unlock the door and switch on the lights of the quaint cottage her grandfather left for her. 

It’s a small space but it's enough, all tidied up thanks to Robin. She lays her hand on the wooden doorframe. “Old man still looking out for me, huh?” She softly knocks her head against the hard surface. “Thanks, pops.” 

In the middle of it, on top of the rug, sat a box. Yubin opens it to find several pieces of radish seeds there. 

_Something to get the ball rolling,_ the note reads. _Excited to meet you!_

“Who’s K.Y.H.?” She asks no one, then checks the back of the note only to find no indication who K.Y.H.is. 

As if she would know. 

She’s going to town tomorrow, after replanting some trees. Maybe she’ll find out. 

For now, a shower. Then sleep. Tomorrow is a new day of her new life and the absence of deadlines and work items is _seriously_ doing her good. 

-

Gold light streams in through the window, and Yubin knows it’s going to be a good day. After her morning routine, she steps out in fresh, new clothes, more suitable for daily work.

The town is bustling when Yubin arrives at the square, and it’s a busy town — a clinic, a shop, residential houses, playgrounds, blacksmithing center, and a library. She knows she’ll be spending lots of time there.

There’s also a supermarket on the farthest end, and in the north, a run-down building with a malfunctioning clock. 

Yubin meets the townspeople, an interesting bunch, surely. She meets Gahyeon, who makes an impression, in her leather jacket and boots and a greeting that’s an odd cross of friendly and spunky: “Hey. Name’s Gahyeon.” Yubin likes her already. They spend the rest of the day together. 

She meets Bora, in a summer dress, her nose turned upward to the sky haughtily and barely acknowledges her save for a perfectly shaped, raised brow. Siyeon, who was much nicer, stops to say hi. 

“Sorry, Bora’s like that with new people. She’s real nice when she wants to be.” Gahyeon apologizes when they walk away. When Yubin asks why, she only raises her shoulders in question. “Beats me.” Yubin decides it’s best to leave them alone for now. 

“Can we head to the library? I want to check it out.” Yubin requests, Gahyeon shrugs and leads the way. She’s very talkative, and Yubin likes it. She and Handong would probably get along without difficulty. 

“This what you did back in the city?” Gahyeon asks before they step in. 

“Yes. I wrote a lot. And studied. A lot.” 

“Getting paid to be a nerd, I see,” Gahyeon teases, and Yubin laughs. Handong has called her a professional dweeb nearly every day when she decided to pursue her masters.

“Simply put, yes.” 

The library is small, warm, quiet. It’s nearly empty save for the curator, who introduces himself as Gunther, and a girl with blonde hair, her nose buried in a book. “Well, I think you’ll get along just fine with our town sweetheart.” 

Yubin feels bad when they approach the girl, whose face is hidden by the book, and Gahyeon flicks her book to get her attention. “Hey, blondie. It’s the new farmer. You said you wanted to meet her.” 

She looks up and the so-called town sweetheart is easily one of the prettiest she’s ever seen. With her delicate features and her floral dress, Yubin can’t do anything but to extend her hand in greeting. “Hi. I’m Yubin. Nice to meet you.” 

“Oh. Hi. I’m Yoohyeon.” There’s pink dusting her cheeks. “Wow, I didn’t know that the farmer was going to be…” 

Yubin raises her brows. “A girl?” 

“Oh, no, no! I just didn’t think—that—you were going to very pretty—”

Gahyeon pulls a face and thwacks one of the books scattered on the table on Yoohyeon’s head, somewhat gently. “Okay, I think we get the message. Anyway. Yubin, Yoohyeon. Fellow dorks. She's the one who left the radish seeds in your house.” 

Yoohyeon looks affronted, but there's a deep flush on her cheeks. She doesn't deny it. Yubin thanks her anyway, and diverts the conversation. “What are you reading?” 

“Mary Oliver. Do you know her?” 

Yubin has written approximately eighteen papers on her. “Yes, I do. Do you like her?” 

Yoohyeon grins and the rest of her face moves along with her smile, and it charms Yubin in ways that nothing has before. “Absolutely.”

They exchange their thoughts about her works and see they’re aligned, almost perfectly so. Yubin is impressed, maybe crushing on her a little bit. She looks over to Gahyeon, who has dozed off on a bean bag. 

“Baby’s bedtime,” Yoohyeon teases. “Hey. Gahyeon. You still have to show Yubin around.” 

“Mmm, five more minutes,” the girl groans, and it’s incredibly cute for someone dressed to the nines in black and silver. She raises her head to look at them. “Hey, mind if I just take a nap? Yoohyeon can show you the community center.” 

Yubin rubs the back of her neck. “I hope I’m not interrupting your work.” 

Already standing up and placing her sweater over Gahyeon, Yoohyeon shakes her head. “Oh, not at all. I’d love to show you around.” Flicks Gahyeon’s forehead softly. “Or what’s left of the tour anyway. Let’s go.” 

“So you’re Pops’ grandkid, huh,” Yoohyeon starts, when they begin walking. The late afternoon light dances on their skins and Yubin loves it, would have this rather than the smog and stickiness of the city. 

Yubin laughs. The old man surely had a reputation here in Pelican Town. “That would be me. You knew him?” 

Yoohyeon nods, her light hair bouncing with the movement. Walking side by side emphasizes that Yoohyeon is a good few inches taller than she. “I’ve lived here my whole life. He and my grandfather were good friends.” There are a few beats of silence, just the sound of their shoes making the grass rustle. Then: “what made you head over to this small town, from the city?”

“I needed some change in my life,” she answers simply. “I felt like it was all pointless. I felt alone. Then I came across something from him that led me here. Not really a fan of change, not gonna lie, but I think this was a good decision.” 

Yoohyeon asks about her life in the city and it feels odd, talking about it as if it wasn’t just the life she left a few days ago. 

(“You studied _twice_?” She exclaims. 

“Unfortunately, yes,” Yubin replies. She wasn’t going to say that she had plans for a Ph.D. somewhere along the lines.) 

The community center is more run down up close. The wood has been consumed by termites, hollow and brittle. There are vines crawling all over it. Yoohyeon takes a pin from her hair and picks the rusty lock that holds the door closed. 

“You know, I think I’m okay waiting outside,” Yubin tells her. 

“Nonsense, you’re coming with me.” The lock falls to the floor promptly. “Gahyeon and I break in all the time.” 

“Don’t you get in trouble?” Yubin says, following Yoohyeon’s lead anyway. 

“Only sometimes,” she winks. “My dad’s the mayor.” 

Yubin laughs but raises an eyebrow. “So you use nepotism to pull yourself out of sticky situations.” 

“Only sometimes,” repeats Yoohyeon, then they walk inside. 

Yubin doesn’t know what she expected but it’s definitely as run down as it looks from the outside. Except inside, there are pieces of rugged furniture scattered about and a small, mysterious hut at the center. The rooms are unused and ratty, and Yubin feels pity, not even disgust, at its current state. 

“This is the community center,” Yoohyeon says, her voice echoing across the empty threshold. “It’s been unused even before I was born, ever since that Joja Co. supermarket came.” 

Yubin inspects the wooden floorings, hopefully it’s stable enough for her to approach the small hut. “People used to hang out here, be together as a town. Do activities. You know, community stuff. It’s a big deal since we’re few.” 

“I’m really sorry to hear that. Your community deserves better.” Yubin says, genuinely, then turns to the hut. “What’s this?” 

Yoohyeon tilts her head to the side. “Huh. I don’t know, actually. I never bothered to inspect it.” 

Behind her, a flash of green dashes across the floor. Yubin notices, looking past Yoohyeon. “Did you see that?” 

The other girl twists slightly to look at where Yubin is pointing. “See what?” 

It walks closer, and it’s cute and green, shaped like… an apple? She’s surely seen plushies of it her Pops gave her when she was little. 

“Oh, they’re junimo sprites,” Yubin says, her heart racing. 

Then she passes out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They all ask her: “are you happy there?”
> 
> Yubin cries when she says, “yes, absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't stop thinking abt this au and can't stop thinking about replaying the game

_Rebuild the center_ …

_It holds great rewards…_

_We’re counting on you, Lee Yubin..._

-

“... _bin? Yubin?! Wake up_!” 

The outside world echoes distinctly, as her head was stuck in a fishbowl. Her vision can guarantee that it probably was. It takes much effort to lift her eyelids fully and look up at Yoohyeon. 

Her first thought is: _wow, pretty…_

Her first words are: “Hey,” the word croaks out. Speaking feels foreign. “Thanks for the radish seeds.” 

Yoohyeon, in her right mind, laughs incredulously. The panic is somewhat wiped off, and Yubin realizes Yoohyeon is cradling her head. “Oh, um, you’re welcome.” She pulls the skin under Yubin’s eyes down to check for anything. “Are you okay? Can you sit up?”

Yubin shakes her head, her newsboy hat falling to the side. She pulls herself up with Yoohyeon’s assistance, and sits up fully, her vision no longer clouded. “I’m good,” she says, slightly scolding herself for making the other girl worry. “Have you ever seen a junimo before?” 

“Not really,” She replies. “I believe in them, though.” 

_Huh._ “I think they asked me to rebuild the community center. When I passed out.” She looks around for something to write on. When she finds none, she just takes the pen she always keeps in her pocket to write on her palm. 

_A bundle is made of different things your farm can produce,_ they told her, _and each bundle you offer to us will repair one room and more._ Yubin lists down everything she needs. Her top-notch institutional memory was always something she was proud of, and it’s proving itself useful once more. 

“What are you doing?” asks Yoohyeon, watching Yubin scribble on her arm. 

She doesn’t look up, else she’ll lose her footing. “Writing everything I have to do to finish this center.” When she’s done, she shows Yoohyeon everything.

“Wow, that’s all you need to do to fix this?” She looks up at the raggedy ceiling. “You’ll help us repair the center?” 

Yubin tilts her head, genuinely confused. She could be a lot of things, but if she set her mind to it, she’ll do everything in her power to see it through. “Why wouldn’t I?” 

Yoohyeon shrugs and looks away. “I don’t know. I guess no one has ever done that for us.” 

She won’t go so far to say that she’s part of them just yet, but this was her grandfather’s town. By extension, it was her town, as well. 

Yubin has never been one to turn down responsibility. 

-

“Yubin, you made it!” The mayor, Yoohyeon’s father, greets her. It’s the first time they’re formally acquainted and the greeting is as warm as everyone else’s. “Welcome to the Egg Festival. The egg hunt begins in a few.” 

“Egg hunt?” She looks at her shoes. Definitely not for hunting eggs. 

He laughs heartily. “Just some colorful eggs hidden around the town square. There’s a prize! Participate!” 

Not really feeling like participating but also not wanting to seem rude, Yubin agrees and now she’s participating in the egg hunt, waiting for the mayor’s go signal to run around the square and find the goddamn eggs. 

With barely an athletic bone in her body, she dashes off to conspicuously placed eggs she sees around the square. There are twenty seconds left by the time Yubin gets to the back of the mayor’s pickup truck, with a purple egg sitting on top of it. 

When she moves to pick it up, someone’s voice stops her. “Not so fast, new kid.” 

Yubin looks up to see Bora, her basket full. She looks about ready to pounce for it. It’s kind of terrifying, really. 

“Um,” she starts, relaxing. “You can have it.” 

Bora looks at her as if she’s grown three heads. “What? You’re not gonna fight me for it?” 

“Not really.” She shrugs. “It’s a stupid egg. You can have it.” 

Bora looks so taken aback that she takes the opportunity to dive for the egg and run away. “Come back here, farmer!” She yells, loud enough to break sound barriers, but Yubin keeps running. 

Bora still wins the egg hunt, and Yubin congratulates her. The girl doesn’t ignore her like the first time, but she squints her eyes - playfully, Yubin might add - and accepts it. 

Later, Gahyeon laughs at her when she recounts the story. “You did that to Bora? Holy hell. That made my day. It must have made hers too.” She kicks back her chair at the saloon. “She’s been the defending egg hunt champion since forever. Town kids don’t stand a chance.” 

“I think she likes you already,” Gahyeon teases. “She likes to pretend to be an ice queen. It’s funny.” 

Yubin laughs. She’s not here to make enemies. The blue-haired waitress starts the jukebox and plays her favorite song. 

-

She finishes clearing out and repurposing her trees on the twentieth day of Spring, and by then she’s foraged enough to earn some coin and plant a field of spring crops to sell and make her own food. 

Yubin heads over to Pierre’s store to buy some more and runs into Yoohyeon and Gahyeon. 

She resists the urge to say no when they invite her over. It was a bad habit of hers. _Sorry, I have to do my thesis. Sorry, I have a defense tomorrow. Raincheck? I have three deadlines on Sunday._

No thesis. No defense. No deadlines on Sundays. She invites Yoohyeon and Gahyeon over to share some freshly made peach juice. They sit on her porch and exchange stories under the shade of her porch, bathing in the deep golden light of the late afternoon sun. 

At the end of spring, she completes the pantry of the community center and befriended the junimos. They help her fix the dilapidated greenhouse a few meters away from her home. Yubin plants tree saplings for it to bear fruit, no matter the seasons.

Not such a bad start for a city girl in the countryside. 

-

Summer is here faster than she anticipated. On the first day, Yubin clears out the crops that didn’t have the chance to grow. She uses the wilted leaves for compost, somewhat wistfully. 

Today, she’s going fishing. It’s one of her favorite things to do, and something she used to do often with her dad. She can still throw a mean line and catch some good stuff. 

Every day, she gifts Yoohyeon some honey she harvested from the bees. Sometimes she gives Gahyeon some void eggs her void chicken lays, but on regular days she gifts her blueberry juice. They spend hot afternoons reading in the library. It’s in that place that she finds out Gahyeon is pretty much a math genius with an unmatched institutional memory. 

Yubin loathes mining the most, actually, but Siyeon is there whenever she frequents it which makes it much more bearable. Scars decorate Siyeon’s arms, with a scar that cuts across her brow, from taking out the various creepy crawlers that infest the mines. Siyeon is an adventurer, Yubin finds out, which explains her impressive set of weapons crafted at the guild, near the mines. 

If she and Siyeon didn’t share the same interests in various animated series, then she would be infinitely more intimidating than she actually was. 

They get the elevator shaft working and Yubin isn’t surprised that by the end of summer, Siyeon reaches the eighty-fifth floor. Her weapons are much more heavy-duty. There are more scars on her arms, which Bora treats but not without an earful of things to say to Siyeon. 

If Siyeon has reached that number of floors deep down into the earth, Yubin completes the bundles for the boiler room and the crafts room of the community center. The junimos repair it and Yubin watches, in awe, as the sprites work.

For Yubin’s help, they let her have access to the quarry with an abundance of rocks to mine, and they repair the town’s minecarts which Siyeon is delighted with, having an absolute field day traveling from the blacksmith shop to the mines. 

Things are looking up already. She had told Yoohyeon not to visit until it was done. 

A new villager moves in. Her name is Minji and she and Siyeon and Bora seem to know each other. Yubin hears from Gahyeon that Minji can wield the galaxy sword. 

She reminds herself to send over a welcome bundle of seeds, the same way Yoohyeon did. 

-

The dance of the moonlight jellies happens on the last day of the season, and Gahyeon drags her out of her house, not even giving her the chance to say no. It’s a cool night - just right.

The floorboards of the pier creak under her boots when they arrive. “Just in time,” Siyeon says excitedly. Minji stands beside her, nodding politely and thanking her for the seeds she sent. “Yoohyeon’s dad is going to light the torches. You’ll see the jellyfish under the light before they migrate to warmer climates.” 

“Are these lunar-crested jellies?” Yubin asks, peering into the water to see nothing save for the waves and the deep blue mystery of the sea. 

“Yes!” Siyeon says, excitedly. “ _Scyphozoa lunaris._ ” 

Before Yubin can ask Siyeon, who apparently is well versed with animals, the mayor lights the torches to begin the ceremony. 

From seeing nothing but the deep sea, the torches cast a yellow light on the surface and Yubin sees the luminous bodies moving to the east, towards the sea. It was a gorgeous sight, nothing that she’s ever seen before, that it moves Yubin to tears. It’s too dark for anyone to see her eyes watering, and Yubin wipes her eyes quickly so she can see the glowing jellies dance to the beat of the waves crashing softly against each other. 

“Lovely, isn’t it?” A voice says, beside her. She turns to see Yoohyeon peering into the water as well. The light from the water dances across her face. It’s not the first time Yubin has noticed how pretty she was. 

(She does, every day, actually.)

“Yeah,” Yubin says, not taking her eyes off her. Her hair sways in the salty-sweet breeze of the beach. “Yeah.” 

-

Fall has always been Yubin’s favorite season, and the colors of the leaves turning into a deep orange were always something easy to her eyes. The crops were her favorite too, and she has a fridge full of raspberry juice for her and Gahyeon to share. Sometimes Bora, Minji, and Siyeon gift her pomegranates, and she knows it’s an off day for the adventurers when they help Bora pick from her vast plantation of trees available for everyone. 

The lake in the Cindersnap forest has been her favorite body of water. Everything around it was always so serene, and it had the best mushrooms to forage lying around. 

The cool water submerges her legs up to Yubin’s knees, her boots sitting neatly beside her. Yoohyeon splashes the water gently with her feet. “Stop,” Yubin asks gently. “You’ll scare the fish.” 

“You finished the community center’s aquarium already, though.” Yoohyeon says. Her reaction to the glittering rocks that have been obscuring the lake water disappearing was priceless, thanks to the junimos. 

Yubin shoots her a look. “This is my dinner.” 

The other girl relents, lying back on the ground, making one final splash before her legs still. 

Today, she and Yoohyeon were kept busy digging up artifacts around the town. Slowly, the artifact section of the library is populated. The satisfaction of finding a preserved artifact is also accompanied by the disappointment of excavating rocks and stones. 

For all of Yoohyeon’s eccentricity, her schedule was predictable and Yubin finds herself incorporated into it. They spend most of their days together and she doesn’t know what it is about that girl that makes her feel as if they’ve known each other for ages. 

In the past hour, they’ve been arguing about theory and Yubin was destroyed by Yoohyeon’s simple: “what good is theory if there’s no praxis?” 

Yubin spares Yoohyeon with a glance over her shoulder, and Yoohyeon looks immaculate, watching the clouds drift by. Her usual floral dress has a coat thrown over it, with a knit cap and a scarf to protect her from the cold. Autumn colors look good on her. 

She catches Yubin’s eye. “What?” 

“Nothing. You look nice.” 

Yoohyeon blushes, but it doesn’t last long when Yubin reaches over to pluck a leaf out of her hair. 

-

There’s a knock on her door, and Yubin opens it to Minji, looking beat down but still standing tall with a lovely smile on her face. There’s a bandage across her nose and her leather jacket has holes in them. 

Before Yubin can ask what she can do for her, Minji hands over a few ores. “Heard you were trying to complete the community center. It’s not much, but I hope it helps.” She laughs a little. “Siyeon mentioned you didn’t like going down to the mines.” 

Yubin takes them, thanking her profusely. “You have no idea.” 

Minji laughs again, and she’s terribly charming. “Well, I just live down the lane. You know where to find me if you need anything from down there.” 

When Minji turns around to leave, Yubin asks for her to wait. She fetches a few starfruits from her fridge. “Please take this, as thanks.” 

The other girl lights up at the sight. “How’d you know I liked this?” 

“Bora mentioned it the other day.” 

“Ah,” a slight blush dusts her dirty cheeks. “That girl. Thanks. See you around.”

Yubin waves goodbye, watching Minji descend her porch steps. 

-

The trees are fully grown inside the greenhouse, and as the junimo promised, the greenhouse lets her bear fruit regardless of the season. 

Sometimes Yoohyeon and Gahyeon come to see the greenhouse to pull some weeds and harvest some fruit. Today, it’s just her and Yoohyeon, picking cherries and peaches with the almost-winter air making the oft humid greenhouse much cooler. 

“I think the first book I ever read was _Le Petit Prince_ by Exupery,” Yubin tells her, idle chit-chat as she reaches for the fruit. “My mom gave me her 15-year-old copy from her ex-boyfriend. She never threw it out because she liked it so much.” 

Yoohyeon laughs. “No way! That was my first book, too.” She looks so happy and bright and Yubin wants to kiss her. 

Where there were ancient fruits, there were junimos, so Yubin isn’t surprised to see the apple-shaped spirits lurking behind Yoohyeon as they always do when there are visitors. They were particularly attracted to Yoohyeon and Siyeon. 

She is, however, about to have an internal meltdown when the junimos nudge Yoohyeon closer to her. While the other girl picks some peaches (with ease, Yubin thinks begrudgingly), she locks eyes with the spirits and shakes her head in a silent and desperate, _no, please, let me handle this, I promise I'll do it._

It’s the third time they’ve tried something like this, much to Yubin’s embarrassment. 

“You okay?” Yoohyeon asks, when Yubin doesn’t respond to her thoughts on the book, as she always does. “You look pale.” 

Thankfully, the sprites leave them be. “Yeah,” Yubin lies through her teeth. “What were you saying?”

Yoohyeon doesn’t look convinced, but she lets it pass. 

She should do something about this. Soon. 

-

Yubin finishes her dissertation on the first day of winter. It’s practically useless now, but she had to keep her brain elastic one way or another. Yoohyeon is beside her when she types out the last word and fixes her citations. 

“Will you let me read it?” She asks, curious as she always is. 

Yubin raises a brow. Not even her parents wanted to come close to literary theory. But Yoohyeon is different. “You want to read this paper...weight?” In retrospect, it was a paperweight of paper. 

_Yoohyeon is different._ “Why wouldn’t I? You wrote it.” Her hands move along the spines of Yubin’s books, holes in between them because Yoohyeon had requested to borrow them. “I’d love to read anything you’d write. I think you’re brilliant. Anything you write will be useful.” 

She’s heard those so many times before, but for some reason, it matters now, in this small town with this beautiful and brilliant girl beside her. “Thanks,” is all Yubin says. “I think you’re brilliant, too.” 

Yubin means it. _Oh, how she means it._

-

She calls her family on the 25th day of Winter, on the feast of the Winter Star. She cries when she calls her parents. She cries when she calls Dongie. They all ask her: “are you happy there?”

Yubin cries when she says, “yes, absolutely.” 

-

Her exchange gift recipient is Bora, and Yubin gets her a cask of orange-flavored alcohol she made herself. The girl is elated, of course, and she tries not to show it but the effort is futile. 

“Odd for you to know my favorite things, new kid,” Bora says, but she’s smiling. 

“Oh please, not as if you post it on Pierre’s signboard whenever you’re craving them,” she teases back. Bora often posts: _URGENT. NEED 3 ORANGES. FAST. THX._ whenever Yubin checks for birthdays. She sends over some out of pity. “Minji and Siyeon can’t stop talking about how much you love them whenever they visit.” 

Bora blushes - prettily, Yubin notices, but Bora has always been pretty - and Yubin winks to get a rise out of her.

-

On the seventh day of the second month of Winter, Yoohyeon turns twenty-six. Yubin surprises her at the library, holding a printed version of her manuscript and a sapphire from geodes she found in the mines, from her (rare) escapades with Siyeon. 

She’s spent pretty much every day with Yoohyeon yet her hands tremble. “You said you wanted more of my writing,” Yubin says, somewhat shyly. “I put them after my dissertation. I hope you like them.” 

“Yubin, wow...” Yoohyeon says, awestruck, but Yubin isn’t done yet. 

“I know you love sapphires, too,” she brings out the gem from her pocket. The first time Yubin donated the gem to the library, Yoohyeon had fawned over it. 

It glimmers under the warm library light, and it’s as bright as Yoohyeon’s eyes. “But you hate the mines.” 

“I had one lying around, don’t worry,” she reassures her but it’s a complete lie. She had knocked on Siyeon’s door asking her to accompany her down a few levels of the mine to find a sapphire rock. 

Everything stops when Yoohyeon wraps her arms around Yubin, hugging her for the first time. She’s not _averse_ to physical touch but it wasn’t her favorite way to show affection, but it feels right with Yoohyeon. She hugs her back, fiercely, realizes she hasn’t touched anyone this way in some time. 

She buries herself in Yoohyeon’s delicate scent, warm embrace through the thick, winter clothing. “Happy birthday, Yoohyeon.” 

That same day, she completes the bundle for the bulletin board in the community center. The next day, she receives packages from all the villagers, expressing their gratitude. _You’re the best,_ all of them said. No one is there to see that Yubin cries a little. 

Yubin has never felt more appreciated in her life. She stacks their gifts in her living room with fondness filling her heart to the brim. 

They celebrate Yoohyeon’s birthday at the saloon, and Yubin regrets doubting how hard a bunch of small-town people can party. 

-

It’s spring before she knows it, a full year since she first came to Pelican Town. 

Yubin wakes, in a bed that was larger than the one she used on her first day. The golden light streams into the window with the birds chirping happily, glad that the snow has melted away. 

Still no thesis, still no deadlines on Sundays, still no work items weighing heavy on her shoulders. 

It’s the happiest she’s been, a big jump from the slump that she was constantly in, back in the city. Her old life. 

_Live the life you are content with,_ her grandfather had written. Yubin, for once in her life, is proud that she is doing exactly that. 

-

Despite having been in Pelican Town for one whole year, it’s her first time at the flower dance festival after having forgotten to attend last year. Gahyeon, her personal event-dragger, knocks on her door, looking gorgeous yet rueful in a flowery dress - a stark contrast to her casual wear of combat boots and leather. 

“Emily made me wear it,” she says as a greeting, already an explanation. The town seamstress was notorious for having random people model for her whenever Bora wasn’t available. Despite her disdain for her own dress, Gahyeon looks at her appreciatively. “Lee Yubin, you clean up well.” 

The suit was also tailored to her body, also by Emily. It was the traditional wear of the boys for the flower dance, and there was a spare piece, so why not? She looked at herself in the mirror this morning, then shared the same sentiments as Gahyeon. Yubin looked _amazing_ in this. 

They're greeted by everyone when she and Gahyeon arrive, with variations of ‘ _wow, so handsome!’,_ shy giggles from teenage girls, and a few ruffles on the head by the boys. 

“I think you’re the town sweetheart now,” teases Gahyeon, and a flush crawls up the back of Yubin’s neck. “Who are you gonna ask to the dance?”

Yubin turns to her, confused. “What?” 

“It’s a dance, dummy. You ask someone to dance with you. You know, like how dances for two work?” Gahyeon tells her. “Please don’t tell me you guys don’t dance in the city like the cultural degenerates I always thought you were.” 

“We dance, but--”

The mayor’s voice booms through the festival through the speaker, interrupting her. “Okay, everyone. The dance is starting in a few minutes. Make sure to have your partners ready!” 

When Yubin looks at Gahyeon in a slight panic, she nudges her, somewhat hard. “Go find Yoohyeon!” 

Gahyeon’s words fly above her head because her mind is way ahead of her. She dashes to seek Yoohyeon and finds her at the punch table with Siyeon. She looks beautiful, as usual, but even more so in her immaculate, white dress and a flower crown of violets. If Yubin wasn’t already catching her breath, she would definitely be doing so now. 

Dazed and probably sweaty, Yubin shoots her shot. “Yoohyeon,” she says, masking the heaving for air quite well if she does say so herself. “Dance. With me?” 

It takes a beat for Yoohyeon to respond, and a nudge from Siyeon, but they’re walking together towards the center, looking everywhere but the other. Though when the music starts they face each other, the shyness barely dimming the brightness, Yubin realizes: _oh. I love her._

It echoes, while they dance, and she doesn’t step on Yoohyeon’s toes like a chump as she expected. _I love her, I love her, I love her,_ to the beat of the drums and strings of the song, and Yubin knows this is what her heart sounds like in this very moment. 

They circle each other, then they bow and curtsy, but their gazes linger long after the music ends. 

-

At the end of summer, she completes the community center and they drive out the corporation, shutting down the supermarket killing local businesses and the environment. 

Yubin is dubbed the town hero, and she cries when she watches the town populate and use the building to be together, as a community. She’s never had this in the city, where you were always alone and isolated, never having any moment to breathe. For some reason, it was always so hard for people to be kind. 

“You’ve always been a part of this community, kid,” the mayor tells her. “And now you’re our hero. Your pops must be so proud.”

Yubin cries some more. Then Yoohyeon cries, and Gahyeon cries even harder. 

They celebrate with the saloon’s food and potluck from different households, and they take a picture, outside, with puffy eyes. Yoohyeon holds her hand throughout the night. 

-

“Is this safe?” Yoohyeon asks, but she climbs onto the roof anyway. Yubin distinctly remembers the first time she entered the community center, and it had been her who was apprehensive about entering. 

The tables turn on them. Yubin holds out her hand, which Yoohyeon takes, and they sit on the roof of the community center. It’s made out of sturdy materials, and pretty much charmed by the junimos to be resilient. “Do you trust me?” 

Yoohyeon answers, without letting a beat pass. “Of course.” They’re standing under a clear sky, and the stars are out tonight, so bright in a way that Yubin would never have seen in the city. 

Sometimes it’s hard to believe that this has been her sight, every night, for the past months. It’s hard to take it for granted. 

The spring breeze moves past them, Yoohyeon’s dress flowing. It’s a lovely evening, Yubin knows. There are endless lovely evenings in Pelican Town. 

Yoohyeon’s ponytail is getting mussed by the wind, but it’s ignored for the sky. 

“Look,” she says, directing Yubin’s attention upward. “That’s Leo. Libra. Taurus. Bora’s, Siyeon’s, and Minji’s signs!” 

Yubin looks up. It’s beautiful, but it was always difficult to tell the stars from one another. She, however, tries. “Is that Aries? That’s Handong’s sign.” Whenever she has a chance to talk about Handong, she does. She loves the place, even if she’s in a constant state of missing the girl. 

Yoohyeon nods. “There’s Aquarius, for Gahyeon.” Then she points elsewhere. “That’s us. Capricorn and Pisces.” 

They all look the same to her, but Yoohyeon traces it for Yubin, just enough to see. “Did you know we’re compatible?” 

A flush crawls up Yubin’s neck. “You believe in those?” 

Yoohyeon doesn’t even spare her a glance, because she’s still looking at the sky with what Yubin knows is a wide, carefree grin. “I think it’s an interesting and valid way of looking at the world.” She hugs her knees. “It’s a nice guide, you know? But like most things, it’s not something that should control everything.” 

Yubin agrees, but doesn’t say anything. They sit in silence, their shoulders and hips touching. 

They sit in silence, the crickets chirping, but not for long. 

“Yoohyeon,” she says, softly. She doesn’t need to raise her voice; there was barely any space between them. Yoohyeon turns, and Yubin doesn’t really remember anything else, doesn’t know who leans in first, because they meet in the middle as they always do.

Her lips are soft, and they taste like the pomegranate juice they split earlier. It’s the best kiss, the softest, the sweetest. Yoohyeon doesn’t seem capable of giving any other kisses except perfect ones like this. 

Yubin, with her vast vocabulary, can’t articulate how this feels as right as rain, except that it just _does_. 

It’s a shy exchange, and it’s over, but Yubin didn’t have plans to deepen the kiss just yet. 

(She’ll claim that she wanted to wait, but the truth was that she was just too damn shy.) 

“Wow,” Yubin says, can’t say anything else but _wow._

Yoohyeon laughs, knocks their heads together. “I agree.” 

They stay like that for some time, unwilling to break the spell. Yubin was sure normal kisses don’t feel that way, but then again, everything in Pelican Town was probably thrumming with magic that kissing the town’s sweetheart, also beloved by the junimos, wasn’t exempt from that. 

Kissing Yoohyeon feels like magic, and it probably is. 

-

“So when are you gonna ask her?” 

Yubin looks up from the buoy. “Hmm?” 

Gahyeon stops skipping stones to look at her. “Yoohyeon. To be your girlfriend.” 

Yubin yelps, enough to scare some fish away. She had wanted to, but she didn’t know how to do so. She tells Gahyeon such. 

“I don’t know how they do it in the city,” she picks up some more rocks to toss. “But here we buy a bouquet from Pierre’s, and give it to them.” Yubin has always seen that item for sale, whenever she bought seasonal seeds from him. 

Yubin stands up, abruptly, slipping her shoes on. Gahyeon, bewildered, drops her stones. “Where are you going?”

She’s already running up north, headed to the shop. “Ask Yoohyeon to be my girlfriend!” 

Gahyeon only rolls her eyes, picking up her stones. “Good luck! Don’t be an idiot!” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” 

She flies in and out of Pierre’s store, almost walking out empty-handed because Bora is there, apparently looking for _two_ to give to Minji and Siyeon.

(“Two?” Yubin says, out of breath. 

Bora gives her a pained smile. “It’s hard to explain.” 

Yubin shrugs. “If it works, it works. Good on all of you. Kinda stressful to have two adventurer girlfriends, sorry.” 

The other girl exhales, distraught. “Don’t even start.”) 

“Okay, town hero, I’ll let you have this one,” Bora warns. “But remember that one day, I’ll get back at you for last year’s egg hunt, twerp.”

She finds Yoohyeon in the community center crafts room, focusing on a tiny sculpture of a junimo for the children at the daycare. They’re planning to build a school soon, and Yubin was tapped to be one of the project champions. 

“Yoohyeon,” Yubin calls out at the door. She notices that she does this a lot - call Yoohyeon’s name before a gesture. Not such a smooth talker now, but Yubin can scold herself a little for that later. 

Yoohyeon looks up, orange and blue paint on her face, and Yubin thinks she looks beautiful. “Oh, hi, darling, what’s up?” 

For some reason, there’s no time to waste. “Be my girlfriend.” 

The smile that lights up Yoohyeon’s face can power up an entire town. She’s not given time to be nervous because Yoohyeon says yes, immediately. 

In the middle of the crafts room, Yoohyeon kisses her, her arms wrapped around Yubin’s neck. 

_Yep_ , Yubin thinks, _still magic_. 

-

Yubin wakes before the sun rises, and she enjoys her morning coffee by the porch, enjoying the breeze.

No thesis. No defenses. No work items. 

Lovely town, lovely friends, lovely farm. 

It’s the happiest she’s been.

**Author's Note:**

> Singjibo sequel yes? YES?


End file.
